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1. Wolfgang Lauth Sextet: Intrada
2. Hans Koller Ensemble: Mingus Privat
3. Joe Haider Septet: Straight Out
4. Hans Koller Ensemble: Casa Loma
5. Joe Haider & His Orchestra: Hymnus for Che
6. Wolfgang Dauner Trio: Freefall
7. Rolf & Joachim Kuhn Quartet: Arabia Rock
8. Ronnie Ross & His Band: Tranquology
9. Hans Koller Ensemble: Saint John Perse
10. Ronnie Ross & His Band: Last of the Wine
11. Joe Nay & Fritz Pauner: Beta Draco
12. Hans Koller Ensemble: Zoot
13. Wolfgang Dauner Trio: Ten Notices
14. Fritz Pauer Trio: Red Roof
15. Hans Koller Ensemble: Call Me Eric
16. Joe Haider Septet: Eternal Oil Lamp
17. Hans Koller Ensemble: Lucky Tom
sonarkollektiv:"The opening track is from the Wolfgang Lauth sextet with the fitting title of 'Intrada'. His composition from 1967 features, in addition to Emil Mangelsdorff on the flute, in particular the vibraphone player Fritz Hartschuh. Lauth was born in 1931. Since the mid-fifties he belonged to the leading jazz pianists in Germany. He regularly worked on productions for TV and radio, for cabaret, radio plays and the film industry. Due to his skills he was twice voted Germany's most popular jazz musician.
The Austrian Hans Koller is one of the few musicians here, who already had an international reputation in the sixties and extensive artistic experience. Already since the fifties he had developed such a unique expressive playing style on the tenor saxophone, that jazz from the German-speaking world was often described as being from 'Koller-Land'. Hans Wewerka had a very long-lasting close friendship with Koller from the beginning of his career to the end. So it is no surprise that he described him as one of his driving forces in jazz and he was one of the first who produced him. This recording with Fritz Pauer, Hans Rettenbacher and Victor Plasil from 1962, possesses such a high standard that six tracks alone from this extraordinary session are included on this compilation. Each of Koller's compositions, such as the modern swing interpretations 'Mingus Privat', 'Call Me Eric' and 'Zoot', as well as his exploration of Bossa Nova in the pieces 'Casa Loma' and 'Lucky Tom' or the waltz 'Saint John Perse', represent timeless pieces of modern jazz.
Another musician, who was a close friend of Hans Wewerka and who spent many hours in the studio with him, is the pianist Joe Haider. They often worked together because Haider had opened the jazz club 'Domicile' in Munich in the sixties and was the house pianist in this internationally renowned venue for many years. The two tracks 'Straight Out' and 'Eternal Oil Lamp' stem from numerous sessions with Haider. Haider's septet performed these with the exiled American Benny Bailey. Haider und Bailey often worked together in the years to come. Both of them later taught at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern, where Joe Haider was the director from 1984 to 1995. This was after Haider had founded his labels Ego Records und JHM (Joe Haider Music). In addition to the two septet pieces, this compilation also includes another, 'Hymnus For Che', a homage to the rebel Ché Guevara. Haider's septet was enlarged here to include a trombonist and a trumpet player.
A musician of the same calibre is the pianist, Wolfgang Dauner. Born in Stuttgart in 1935, he formed his own trio in 1963 with the bassist Eberhard Weber and the American drummer Fred Braceful. Two of the trio's tracks 'Freefall' and 'Ten Notices' appear here. Dauner belonged to the avant-garde pianists in Germany. He is regarded as one of the most experimental pianists in the whole of Europe. Like many German musicians he released several recordings on the previously mentioned label MPS. In 1975, he set up his own band United Jazz Rock Ensemble and he ran his own record label Mood Records. The chosen recordings from this trio were originally released by CBS in 1964. Due to the long-lasting cooperation between Horst Lippman, Wolfgang Rau and Hans Wewerka, the recordings became part of the Wewerka archive.
When writing about outstanding pianists, one name can obviously not be ignored, a name which, more than any other, helped German jazz to international recognition. Joachim Kühn, born in 1944 in Leipzig. He formed his first trio and later his first quartet with his older brother Rolf Kühn in 1966. Unfortunately only a very few recordings from this quartet, which played until 1969, exist. One of the first and only sessions by this unique formation which was made up of the bassist Günter Lenz and the drummer Ralph Hübner, took place in the winter of 1966. This historic quartet also represented a reunion for the two brothers, shortly after Joachim had followed Rolf to West Germany. 'Arabia Rock' is an impressive testament to how the quartet, very early on, set itself aside with a new sound and strived to achieve new forms of jazz expression. This approach to jazz is something, which both brothers in their long careers have consistently pursued.
Another excellent pianist is the Vienna-born Fritz Pauer. After studying, he was member of Fatty George's band and the Hans Koller quartet until he founded his own trio in 1964. In 1966 he toured throughout Europe with this trio and was 'Winner of the International Competition of Modern Jazz' in Vienna. At the same time, Pauer worked as an arranger for the SFB Radio band and as a composer for theatrical plays. Later he was a member of and composer for the ORF Radio band. Fritz Pauer and Hans Wewerka also had a long friendship from which many productions resulted. The titles 'Beta Draco' und 'Red Roof' were chosen from two of these recording sessions in 1966. These are examples of the Pauer trio, which consisted of drummer Joe Nay and bassist Dieter Gützkow, at its best.
Ronnie Ross, who unfortunately died in 1991, was possibly the leading European jazz baritone saxophonist of the sixties. He owed this to Don Rendell, as he persuaded him to change from the tenor saxophone to the unpopular baritone saxophone in the fifties. Initially, he played at the beginning of the sixties in small groups. He received further international recognition by working together with the Clarke Boland big band, and was a much sought-after side man. Without a doubt, Ronnie Ross, who was often a guest in Germany, was one of the main advertisements for British jazz. As was the case when Wewerka produced him and his band in Munich in 1965. Apart from Joe Haider, Don Menza, Rick Kiefer, Rudi Füssers und Cees See, one has to highlight Peter Trunk. This exceptional bassist tragically died in 1973 following a car crash. He added a few brilliant compositions to the sessions, from which 'Tranquology' as well as Ross' own composition 'Last Of The Wine' have been chosen.
Albert Mangelsdorff was the first jazz musician to develop the multi-tone playing style. As early as the fifties, he was already ranked among the premiere league of European jazz musicians due to his unique style - a mixture of free and cool elements. He was introduced to jazz at the age of 12 by his brother Emil, who also appears on this compilation (see Wolfgang Lauth). It was only at the age of 19, that Albert Mangelsdorff settled for the trombone, the instrument that he would, a few years later, revolutionize with his multi-tone style of playing. One of his numerous tours was to Asia for the Goethe Institute in 1964. The result of the tour was a unique recording, a homage to the different Asian music cultures with the title 'Now Jazz Ramwong'. This album brought him international recognition and is one of the most important milestones of his long artistic career. 'Sakura Waltz' has been chosen from it for this compilation. Mangelsdorff established his quintet in 1961 and it was made up of Heinz Sauer (tenor), Günter Kronberg (alto), Günter Lenz (bass) und Ralf Hübner (drums). It was to last until 1971.
This compilation can only provide a glimpse into the vaults of the Hans Wewerka archive. Nevertheless, the chosen tracks bear witness to a very important creative period in the West-German jazz-scene. Almost 40 years after being recorded, these tracks well deserve to be finally released."
Modern Jazz From West Germany or
Modern Jazz From West Germany
